Coasters are often used under the legs of a piece of furniture to act as a buffer between the legs and the floor on which the piece of furniture rests. Typically, coasters take the form of glass or rubber discs having flat bottoms that rest on the floor. By positioning the coasters between the furniture legs and the floor, the weight of the furniture leg is dispersed over a larger area such that the furniture leg does not scratch or mar the floor when the piece of furniture is moved or leave a depression in the floor when the piece of furniture remains in one place for an extended period of time.
In addition, furniture glides or sliders have been developed that are also positioned between the legs of a piece of furniture and the carpeting on which the piece of furniture rests. By way of example, Bushey, U.S. Pat. No. 5,220,705 discloses a furniture glide that facilitates the movement of a piece of furniture on carpeted and bare floors. The furniture glide includes a convo-convex disc having an arcuate convex lower surface, a concave upper surface defining a central cavity, and resilient pad fixed to the disc upper surface within the central cavity below the edge thereof. Adhesive is provided for securing the resilient pad to the bottom of the piece of furniture or to the leg of the piece of furniture.
While functional for their intended purpose, prior art furniture glides have certain limitations. More specifically, these furniture glides are designed for mounting onto the bottoms of pieces of furniture or on the legs thereof. As a result, the furniture glides do not fit properly on pieces of furniture that are fabricated using tubular frames, such as office chairs and the like. Further, repeated movement of a piece of furniture along a floor may cause the furniture glide to become detached from the bottom of the piece of furniture. As a result, the furniture glide may become separated from the piece of furniture such that the bottom of piece of furniture may engage and damage the flooring. Therefore, it is highly desirable to provide a furniture glide and/or coaster that may be simply secured to various types of furniture in order to prevent damage to the flooring on which the piece of furniture rests.
Therefore, it is a primary object and feature of the present invention to provide a furniture glide that may be securely retained on a tubular frame of a piece of furniture.
It is a further object and feature of the present invention to provide a furniture glide that is inexpensive to manufacture and simple to utilize.
It is a still further object and feature of the present invention to provide a furniture glide that is more securely retained on the leg of a piece of furniture than prior furniture glides.
In accordance with the present invention, a furniture glide is provided for mounting to a leg of a piece of furniture. The furniture glide includes a base having an inner surface for engaging a bottom of the leg of the piece of furniture and an outer surface for engaging the supporting surface. A first sidewall projects from a first side of the base and has an inner surface for engaging a first side of the leg of the piece of furniture and an outer surface.
The base is generally flat and it is contemplated for the first sidewall to be pivotable between a first storage position wherein the first sidewall is spaced from the side of the leg and a second operating positioning wherein the first sidewall is in engagement with the leg. A second sidewall projects from a second side of the base and has an inner surface for engaging a second side of the leg of the piece of furniture. The second sidewall is pivotable between a first storage position wherein the second sidewall is spaced from the second side of the leg and a second operating position wherein the second sidewall is in engagement with the second side of the leg.
The base extends along the longitudinal axis and the outer surface of the first sidewall includes a first slit. The first slit is generally parallel to the longitudinal axis. It is contemplated to provide additional slits in the first sidewall and/or to provide additional slits in the outer surface of the second sidewall.
The base, the first sidewall and the second sidewall have predetermined thicknesses. The predetermined thickness of the base is greater than the predetermined thicknesses of the first and second sidewalls. In an alternate embodiment, it is contemplated for the outer surface of the first sidewall to have a generally sinusoidal cross-section. In a still further embodiment, it is contemplated for the inner surface of the base and the inner surface of the sidewall to define a generally concave cavity for receiving a portion of the leg of the piece of furniture therein.
In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, a furniture glide is provided for mounting to a leg of a piece of furniture. The furniture glide includes a base extending along a longitudinal axis and having a first face, a second face and an outer periphery. The base includes a central portion having first and second sides and a predetermined thickness. First and second side portions extend laterally from corresponding sides of the central portion. Each side portion has a predetermined thickness. An adhesive is provided on the first face of the base for affixing the base to the leg of the piece of furniture.
The base includes a first slit in a first side portion along the second face. The first slit is generally parallel to the longitudinal axis. The base may also include a second slit in the second side portion along the second face, the second slit is generally parallel to the longitudinal axis. The base may also include a second slit in the first side portion of the second face.
It is contemplated for the predetermined thickness of the central portion of the base to be greater than the predetermined thickness of the side portions of the base. In an alternate embodiment, the second face of the base along the first side portion has a generally sinusoidal cross-section. It is contemplated for the base to have an oval configuration.
In accordance with a still further aspect of the present invention, a furniture glide is provided for mounting to a leg of a piece of furniture. The furniture glide includes a base extending along the longitudinal axis and having an inner surface for engaging a bottom of the leg of the piece of furniture and an outer surface for engaging a supporting surface. A first sidewall projects from the first side of the base and has an inner surface for engaging a first side of the leg of the piece of furniture. The outer surface of the first sidewall has a plurality of slits formed therein. A second sidewall projects from the second side of the base and has an inner surface for engaging a second side of the leg of the piece of furniture. The outer surface of the second sidewall has a plurality of slits formed therein. The first sidewall is pivotable between a storage position wherein the first sidewall is spaced from the first side of the leg and a second operating position wherein the first sidewall is in engagement with the first side of the leg. The second sidewall is pivotable between a first storage position wherein the second sidewall is spaced from the second side of the leg and a second operating position wherein the second sidewall is in engagement with the second side of the leg.
The plurality of slits in the first sidewall and the plurality of slits in the second sidewall are generally parallel to the longitudinal axis. The first sidewall, the second sidewall and the base have predetermined thicknesses. It is contemplated for the predetermined thickness of the base to be greater then the predetermined thicknesses of the first and second sidewalls.